Trouble A Lily and James Story
by hollyster101
Summary: My take on how Lily and James fell in love. Canon. M for future content. Read and Review :) JP/LE
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1. Where our story starts

We know how this story starts. It's a classic. A boy meets a girl and he falls in love with her, but she doesn't catch on for a while. If Lily Evans had to describe James Potter in one word it was trouble, funnily enough she described him in exactly the same way – trouble.

It wasn't the first time James saw Lily that he realised. She wasn't all that noticeable. She was annoying and bookish and above all party pooper. First year passed, he didn't remember much about her except she was the know-it-all. Second year passed and she retained that reputation.

_At the end of their third year at Hogwarts James view was completely changed. She gained the nickname 'trouble' during an unremarkable potions lesson on a warm May morning. They were brewing a simple Pepper-Up potion to help Madam Pomfery with her dwindling supplies. Naturally James was paired with his partner (in crime) Sirius Black and sitting in front of them were Lily and Severus Snape. Both pairs were working (relatively) studiously until,_

"_Oi Snivelly is that you who's stinking the room with grease or is that just Evans' natural eau de cologne?"_

_The Gryffindor boys burst into fits of giggles whilst Lily fumed. She couldn't let him get away with this again. Maybe she thought if she retaliated he'd stop pestering Severus, Lily had at least hoped that much. She didn't quite think through her actions or their consequences, so, quite simply, she kicked over his caldron 'peppering' James and Sirius up no end for the rest of the week. _

_At this the rest of the class broke down in hysterics. No one did that to James Potter. No one. Not even the other Marauders (although they weren't called that yet). They just didn't but she had! Even Professor Slughorn had commented on this;_

"_My oh my Miss Evans looks like you can be trouble if you want to be and 10 points to Gryffindor for the cheek!"_

But from then on James realised he had met his match, and that he would do anything to win her heart. From then on it stuck. Trouble. She was never trouble in classes after that. She never rose to the bait any of the Marauders tried with her. But she got angry. She was always angry at them, fuming anger that matched her hair, anger that sparkled madly in her bright green eyes whenever she got cross. But she never got told off for these by the teachers, he did. She was his own personal brand of trouble.

For Lily he was just an annoying, hormone-driven, stark-raving-mad boy and it took almost 7 years for Lily Evans to realise why the two of them were always at each other's throats about everything. She didn't hate him per se. They were the two brightest students in their year and they just couldn't get on because she detested his arrogant self-assured exterior.

This is where our story starts. After the mudblood incident, after James saves Severus Snape from Remus Lupin as a werewolf even though he really doesn't want to.

Our story starts in another potions lesson in their 6th year at Hogwarts.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2. What Remus said

Lily Evans loved Potions classes. It was like science classes in her old muggle school. She loved the endless possibilities that Potions offered her, she loved the smells that wafted up from the caldrons. But most importantly, this year she had been partnered with Remus Lupin. She saw him as her equal in every respect diligent, intuitive, extraordinarily clever and reliable, although he had no natural talent for Potions and was henceforth, partnered with Lily. Although he was a Marauder, he didn't act like James and Sirius (showoffs), he shied away from their limelight. Most importantly for Lily, he was a prefect, and probable candidate for Head Boy, therefore, well, she saw it as her duty to get on with him and prove that she could be 'the other half' of this partnership, next year to her teachers.

But this potions lesson somehow, wasn't running as smoothly as others. Lily's temper had almost boiled over twice and Remus wasn't helping things much by snapping back at her, by the end of the lesson, infuriated he couldn't get the subject right.

James stared at them. Something fishy was going on. Lily in particular, had been completely hyped to be brewing Amortentia but, their 'dream team' seemed to be struggling.

"Prongs old pal," Sirius murmured, "I think there's trouble in paradise, don't you?"

"Padfoot, I couldn't agree more but I wonder why." James replied.

The other side of the classroom, a full blown row was underway, over the way to crush the moonstone to release it's powder.

"Oh Merlin's beard Lily just crush and let's be done, we're nearly finished anyway!" Remus exclaimed, relinquishing his hold on the stone, "Why do you have to get so frazzled, it's just one potion."

"Fine", Lily snapped at him, "Fine, if it doesn't bother you I will, I thought you cared about what marks you got Remus, unlike the rest of your friends." At this point she shot a withering look at James, who smiled jovially back and waved, whilst he and Sirius waited for the potion to turn the 'correct shade of pink – somewhere between the colour of cherry blossom and a winter rose', according to Advanced Potion Making. In the pestle she ground the moonstone angrily, as if she channelling her anger into it, but then gently poured it into the caldron.

The effect was instantaneous. The hue of their potion changed from a deep regal purple to the lightest of pinks.

"Oh well done, Miss Evans and Mr Lupin have managed it, after all the arguing. The most potent, perfect potion in the room! Congratulations you too! Let's see 10 points to Gryffindor apiece" cried Professor Slughorn in delight, "Well Mr Lupin what does it smell like to you?"

"Well, Professor", said Remus, giving the potion a dubious look and then a long sniff, "I, I can smell, the ocean, orchids and the smell that comes after a large rainstorm sir." He looked dreamy as he stepped away and smiled at Lily, "It's wonderful Lily, have a smell!"

"Honestly Remus, oh", Lily inhaled slowly, "That's incredible!"

"Well Miss Evans, enlighten us on what you smell from this perfectly brewed potion", Slughorn asked.

Lily was positively lightheaded, she was giddy. The scents elicited this response from her! She was so surprised, but they were so beautiful and mixed in this heady way that made her head swim. She wanted to find whoever smelt so, so perfect and…..and kiss them, and live in their smell, wrap it around her until it was all she could smell.

"It's like a bonfire, and that smell of Christmas spices and pine needles in the forest! Oh, Remus this is fantastic stuff!" Lily exclaimed, and the two of them burst into giggles. (Although Remus wouldn't say he giggled – ever.)

At this precise moment in time both James and Severus sniffed their robes. The reactions of the two were entirely different.

The latter's face became devoid of all emotion except one. Pain. Pain that the girl he so ardently loved was in fact in love with some else. He had expected no less, she needed some vibrant, alive, someone who matched her spark that glimmered in her emerald eyes, who could match her quick wit and had a flame that ignited like the colour of her hair. But he had hoped it would be someone as studious as him, someone who was quiet, calm, collected but calculating. Severus sighed, things were often impossible.

James, on the other hand, nearly jumped up and down in glee. For him it was as though Christmas had come early, or someone had told him a very good joke, or hexed Snivellus.

"Sirius, Sirius, pay attention and sniff me" he almost shouted.

"James Potter, I'm highly affronted you think I would stoop so low as to sniff you in public, and anyway, if you needed me to sniff you I would be Padfoot not Sirius – do you not think", then he looked at James's face which was like that of a two-year-old bursting with excitement, "Fine", Sirius sniffed, "Dumbledore's underpants, Evans described that smell a minute ago! Prongsie old pal, you my friend have just got lucky. I'd say take a sniff of our potion now, and we can test this development."

"No", James whispered "I've got a better idea, before that. Professor Slughorn, Sir?"

"Yes m'boy" Slughorn said to James

"Well, Sir I was wondering if people had complementary smells, if hypothetically speaking the two people were both given the potion, and hypothetically were meant to fall for each other?"

"That is a pertinent question, Mr Potter let me think." He paused, "I believe the smells would be similar. The smell that comes off the potion for a man is often more intense, whereas the smell of a woman is more delicate but they would be similar. As you put it, complementary is the perfect word for it, not the same but a balance, in equilibrium. I may part Miss Evans and Mr Lupin from their potion as they seem to be rather overpowered by it and if I'm not careful they may drink some, wouldn't want that to happen. That could result in some nasty consequences!"

Slughorn bustled off.

"He looks like a small walrus" Sirius observed.

"Small? Really? I was thinking more beached whale", James chortled, "Well, here goes" and he took a deep breath of the potion.

It was intoxicating, it was as if every nerve in his body was telling him to down the potion in one, but he restrained. He was overwhelmed by the three strongest scents. Firstly the smell of an English country garden in summertime, delicate and sweet as honey, secondly, James smelt the smell of a match that has just been struck, and finally, the smell of books (and he didn't think books could or would ever smell this good but they did).

"Sirius, it's her smell!"

"No shit Sherlock!" Sirius replied exasperatedly, looking at James in the most condescending way possible.

But nothing would knock sense into James Potter any more. He was smiling, in the most dazed manner. Thankfully, no one except Sirius had noticed, as something of an incident was brewing the other side of the classroom.

Lily and Remus were lying on the floor of the Potions classroom, gazing up at the ceiling. Both looking incredibly, out of it – for want of a better phrase – they seemed to be stargazing, as Lily had bewitched the ceiling of the classroom to show stars, in a romantic, Amortentia-induced, gesture. The two were oblivious to the rest of the classroom as they gazed. Slughorn had promptly emptied their caldron, and most of the rest of the class had packed up and were ready to leave.

"Ah Miss McKinnon, Mr Black, Mr Potter, you wouldn't mind awfully waiting for these two they will be a little delicate for a while. They should be well enough by dinner time, though." The three nodded despondently, "Good, good. Thank you ever so much."

"I'll watch Lily, as I don't trust you two with her in this state" said Marlene simply to James and Sirius, eying James with his glazed eyes suspiciously.

"No worries Maccie", answered Sirius, "I have two imbeciles to look after!"

"What?" James asked slightly perturbed, shaking his head trying to get his thoughts straight.

"Never you mind" Sirius laughed lightly.

Remus turned over and looked Lily in the eyes, the two oblivious to the three looking after them.

"You know Lily, the smell, it sounds awfully like someone's smell I know" he sighed deeply contemplating who it was whilst looking at her profile, "It's someone in our year, I think."

Lily's laughter echoed round the room like the peals of a small bell.

"Well of course it is Remus, I like someone in our year!" she replied.

"Yes Lily, but I think it's James's smell" he carefully whispered in her ear.

Lily felt like she couldn't breathe. James. His name reverberated round her head like an alarm bell for trouble. But it couldn't be him. Lily Evans fall for James Potter. What nonsense. But still, she did like him. He wasn't all that bad.

Her feelings for James were complicated. He was first and foremost trouble. There was no way around it. He raised a streak in her that no one else could, but because of that he empowered her.

He made her stronger and she liked that. She liked how close they got in their arguments. She liked the way his hair was all over the place, but looked so soft to the touch. She liked his eyes, she found them beautiful, the edges all hazel and gold, bright, light and sparkling but then pooling into depths of chocolate and black that ignited into flames when he got angry.

She didn't like his attitude though, and his arrogance, and the way he was blinded by his own talents. She disliked his propensity to be brilliant in classes without, (seemingly) working, (ever). But what she disliked the most, was the way he made her feel. The way he made her feel uneasy. The way, even his gaze, gave her butterflies. The fact that every single time he asked her out, she'd never directly said "no", she'd only ever make a witty remark, which would make him assume she didn't want to go. She disliked these feeling that complicated him.

He was two people. From afar he was perfection, after getting to know him he was a devil in disguise.

She disliked those words Remus had just spoken "it's James's smell", his of all people's. It could at least be Sirius, funny jovial and one-track minded, or Remus himself serious and kind, even Peter wouldn't be bad. No, Peter Pettigrew wasn't dating material.

Lily got up.

"Marlene, where's my bag?" Lily stammered petrified. Marlene passed it to her, an anxious look passing her face, Lily grew paler as the effects of the Amortentia began to wear off.

"Here," she said briskly, "Let's go to dinner, we can forget it for now and discuss this later. Sirius I suggest you sort out your friends." She pointedly looked at James's open mouth and Remus on the floor, both in a state of probable shock. The two of them walked out of the classroom.

James stared at her as she left. He had heard everything Remus had said. His head was still spinning but everything made much more sense. Him and Lily – it was meant to be. Of course it was meant to be. Everything couldn't be going better.

As she marched up to dinner with Marlene, the reality was that things couldn't have been going worse for James if Lily had her way.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3. A Friendship Develops

Sirius Black was writing a letter. It wasn't uncommon to see Sirius writing but it was unusual to see him writing a letter of all things. But a letter to Lily Evans, that was unheard of.

He kept the scratching of his quill quiet. He didn't want to wake James up. James wouldn't approve, James would be upset, he didn't want to think about what James would do if he found out he had been writing to Lily throughout the summer.

She wasn't having the best of times. Her sister was getting married, she was upset that she could only come to the ceremony. She didn't feel like she could talk to Marlene about it. She wanted someone who could understand her, who she could share her problems with.

And somehow Sirius was the perfect person for that.

He wasn't the golden child like James. He wasn't the complete bookworm like Remus. He most certainly wasn't uncomplicated like Peter.

Sirius had been the outsider in his family since an early age. He had been the one to pick fights when he was younger. When he grew up slightly he had grown to question the family beliefs. When he'd arrived at Hogwarts he had disgraced the family name by being sorted into Gryffindor. Then finally last year he had started an argument about the beliefs that his parents, in particular his mother had held firm, he had decided that the purity of blood was something he didn't care for. He was thrown out.

Of course he was treated well. Being James's best friend had its perks, and he was accepted in the summer before his sixth year as the Potter's second son. But he could never talk to James about how alone he felt.

And quite frankly, Sirius was frightened by that.

Seeing as he felt alone, and so did Lily, it was only right, or so it seemed that they first became correspondences and then friends.

She hadn't trusted him at the start. She had written barely anything in that cramped script of hers. He found it endearing that she signed off her letters so formally at the start of the owls with a prim and proper:

_Yours sincerely,_

_Lily Evans._

But they had begun to open up to each other and slowly a form of friendship had been formed. They didn't have banter like he did with other girls and he didn't flirt with her. He poured his heart and soul out to her, his deepest darkest fears, and she did exactly the same to him.

_Dear Sirius,_

_How is it at James's, I am begging you right now but please please please don't start planning any pranks for next term yet, I can only stand them at least two weeks in. I need sometime to get through the backlog of homework before I can truly enjoy them!_

_What are you thinking about the motorbike? And yes before you ask – I still think it's irresponsible but 'on your head be it' (I think that's the quote I was looking for) it's a muggle reference you won't get it!_

_You asked about that blasted Amortentia in the last letter. And I suppose I should tell you._

_BUT I ONLY WILL IF YOU SWEAR BY RETURN OWL YOU WILL BURN MY RESPONSE AFTER READING AND JAMES CANNOT SEE IT._

_Otherwise I could hex you into next week, but I don't think I'm really cut out to do that!_

_Anyway, I hope James et fam are treating you well. I am quite jealous that you are by the seaside whilst I'm stuck in suburbia (another muggle reference)._

_Look have a lovely time tomorrow eating ice cream and think of me_

_Love,_

_Lily x_

It was the first time she'd put love at the end of a letter. Sirius was in a pickle over it. Was it meant in that endearing way like James's mum wrote in all her letters? Or was it just in a sort of friendly sign off. Or was it more?

But then the mentions of James had caught him completely off guard.

Lily tore open the parchment as soon as the tawny owl swooped into her room later than night. Sirius was always prompt at replying. For a womanizer she had seen none of these tendencies whilst he had been writing to her.

She fumbled with her bedside light and read:

**Dear Lily the Flower,** (she sighed at the pet name)

**Mr and Mrs Potter are treating me delightfully well. Jamesiepoo has been delighting me with rounds of Quidditch all day and general fun, larks and whatnot.**

**Now I can't promise you anything when it comes to these pranks however, I shall swear that none will affect you, upon my honour as a member of Gryffindor House.**

**I hope you are okay as the wedding is tomorrow. Girl keep your chin up and head high and anyway you will be far more blossomingly beautiful than your horse of a sister (and yes didn't you love my flower pun Flower?)**

**The motorbike on the other hand is all systems go. I want a darly havidsdon or whatever you said they were called on the train back! In black obviously, or maybe I could have it in Gryffindor colours to really anger those slimly Death Eaters in my family.**

**AS PROMISED I HAVE BEEN SWORN TO SECRECY AND WILL BURN THE LETTER ABOUT JAMES AND THE POTION.**

**But please hurry up and tell me I am wetting my pants not knowing!**

**Love in a strictly platonic sense (so we don't add to my large total of….well you know)**

**Sirius x**

Lily sighed. She'd have to reply now. It would be a long night.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4. Things travel fast

James Potter had asked out Marlene McKinnon.

Sirius Black had left his best friend's house almost immediately after he had heard.

He couldn't take it and he knew that Lily was going to be a wreck as soon as she found out.

In fact he was a wreck. An almost sobbing slightly stunned wreck.

"This was why James Potter was always trouble" he grumbled angrily as he stepped outside the apparition wards at the Potter's seaside house.

He twirled his wand in his fingers, lifting it gingerly as the sea breeze washed over him, the smell and taste of the salt sticking to his clothes.

A moment later Sirius was gone and James was left calling after horizon of clear blue sky, water and sands.

James sighed bitterly, he thought Sirius would have been pleased. Sirius was the one who was constantly telling him to move on. To find someone more like himself. That's what Marlene was. Admittedly she wasn't the brightest button in Hogwarts but she was bloody good at Quidditch. She was a pureblood. The families would approve and all in all it seemed like a good idea, in seventh year before things got serious to forget Lily Evans. To stop pandering over her.

He wondered why Sirius had felt like that.

It must be to do with that letter he had been reading last night. There had been something that had obviously shocked him deeply, so deeply he wouldn't talk to James about it. And that wasn't like Sirius at all.

He had made up his mind he had to find that letter.

There was a knock on the Evans' front door. It was the day of Petunia's wedding Lily sighed. People weren't really meant to be calling this early!

She rushed to the door, frying pan in hand, bacon still sizzling contentedly, apron round her smart yellow dress she was wearing for the wedding today.

As she yanked open the front door, with a great force for someone so small, and stared open mouthed at the sight in front of her.

Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, together, in muggle suits on her doorstep.

Impossible.

She turned around slammed the door in their faces, served up the bacon and then went back home and reopened the front door.

And sure enough they were there. They sat lazily on the veranda, swing gently on the seat that hung off it. Both looking extremely dapper in contrasting ways, Remus's brown hair was sun kissed and he was bronzed to perfection whereas as Sirius was all dark hair, stormy eyes and brooding looks. Like summer and winter they contrasted perfectly.

Sirius looked at Remus, who promptly began to speak, "He filled me in on the letter, look we need to talk can we go and sit down? We have something important to tell you."

"Fine" Lily replied, still in a state of shock, as she led the two boys upstairs.

As she opened the door to her room she saw Marlene's owl waiting for her with a letter on her bed. She reached to open the parchment, when Sirius stopped her.

"I wouldn't open that if I were you" Remus said gently, taking the scroll from her hands. She saw Marlene's untidy writing was practically a scrawl over the paper. That was odd, she wondered why, but was distracted by the faces the two boys were giving her.

Remus was worried, that was usual. She was used to that face, when rules had been broken, when James had done something wrong usually to do with her. However, the look of concern Sirius was giving her was heart breaking.

It looked like his world was falling apart, only it wasn't his world but her world that was obviously about to crumble. All of a sudden she felt like a young naïve child, not knowing she was gifted, magical, not understanding the strange things she did, like make flowers bloom so quickly in the garden all year round.

By the look her gave her she knew her world was about to crumble around her, and she could do nothing about it.

Remus started to speak "Lily look – we thought it would be best if we told you – because well and it should be easier, maybe sit down. Sirius told me about your feelings towards James and well –"

He was abruptly stopped by Sirius.

"James asked Marlene out. They are staying in the house next door. She said yes. She's invited you to stay with her for the next two weeks. They were going to tell you when you got there. He said he's over you. I'm so sorry, Lily, I think we've all lost it with him a bit this time."

Then there was silence.

It was that sort of silence when you realise that everything you have has changed like when you have lost someone for good.

For Lily it was that sort of silence. It was a silence that reverberated around her head. She couldn't think. She couldn't speak. She nodded.

The boys stared at her.

Calmly, she walked downstairs when she suddenly threw up the bacon she had had only fifteen minutes ago in the hall stairway.

In those small moments, her sister freaked out, her mother and father scolded her for ruining her sister's big day so early on and shut her in her room without a backwards glance. Not noticing the two shocked teenage boy's faces.

"Are you okay?" asked Sirius, as he gingerly helped Lily into her bed, gently tucking her fiery red hair behind her hair.

She didn't reply to him. Her face was drained of colour. Her face seemed drained of vitality. Even her normally sparkling eyes were dulled, her hair even seemed to lack its usual spark even if the colour was still the same.

She turned away from them and mumbled something unintelligible into her pillow.

"You go Remus, find James, tell him I'm off for the rest of the summer, pack my stuff and bring it here, I think Flower needs a break, she needs her friends" Sirius said as he stroked Lily's hair.

Remus left without a blink. Leaving the other two alone, in silence.

"You won't find what you're looking for James" Remus said calmly as James desperately rooted through Sirius's belongings, "He is going to be carrying that letter on him for a while now."

"What? Why?" James asked frantically, "He's got to see me sometime soon!"

"No he doesn't actually, he's going on holiday, said something about not wanting to impose on you for too long and Evans offered him a place to stay, she's off travelling in her camper van seeing as she can drive. I think they said something about France." Remus reeled this off in an almost bored tone but there was a steely note in his voice James was confused by.

Bewildered he stared around the room.

"But-but they-he'll come back before school starts yes? Won't he?" he looked at Remus imploringly.

"No", Remus stated casually, seemingly he had had enough of their conversation, "I'm taking his and my stuff to Lily's. Then we are going to accompany her to her sister's wedding that she has been dreading all summer. Then we are leaving with her and Amelia. That's all you need to know. There's no full moon."

James looked gobsmacked at what one of his best friend's had said to him. He wasn't invited. Nor was Peter though, but they were going away with Evans. Evans. He wanted to go away with Evans.

But he couldn't.

"Have fun with Marlene, James, but maybe you need to rethink your priorities. Goodbye." Just like that Remus left. No backwards glance nothing.

And James just stood there staring after his friend wondering just how quickly the news of his new relationship had travelled. Why were all his friends so affected when they all found out?


End file.
